1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for preventing a removable body from being pulled or falling from an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimile devices, printers, and printing machines generally include removable bodies such as sheet feeding cassettes in which recording sheets are stacked. The removable body can be pulled or detached from a main body of the image forming apparatus.
In development of an image forming apparatus, downsizing, simplification of configuration, and cost reduction in manufacturing the image forming apparatus have become key challenges. Furthermore, lightweight image forming apparatuses that can be carried by hand are becoming popular.
Typically, an image forming apparatus includes a grip as a handle to be used to place, convey, or move the image forming apparatus. However, when the image forming apparatus is conveyed or moved, it may be difficult to hold the grip in some working environments. In this case, the image forming apparatus may be conveyed by holding a removable body.
During such conveying or moving operation, the removable body may be pulled or detached from a main body of the image forming apparatus because the removable body is removably set in the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the removable body or the image forming apparatus may fall or be damaged.
The same situation may occur when the image forming apparatus is conveyed or moved by holding the grip.
With weight reduction of an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus can be easily carried by a user, whereby the above situation occurs more often.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-064888, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H08-044272, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-321128 disclose a technology for setting a removable body in an image forming apparatus such that the removable body is not removed while the image forming apparatus is conveyed or moved.
In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-064888, a sheet feeding cassette is locked to prevent detachment from the image forming apparatus by using a link component with a level bolt before shipping. In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H08-044272, when the image forming apparatus is conveyed, a sheet feeding cassette is locked and not detached from the image forming apparatus by an operation of pulling a handle used for conveyance of the image forming apparatus. In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-321128, when a grip arranged in the image forming apparatus is held by hand, a lever works to lock a sheet feeding cassette to prevent detachment from the image forming apparatus.
Japanese Utility-Model Application Laid-open No. H02-102558 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-109355 also disclose a technology about a grip.
However, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-064888, the sheet feeding cassette is locked and not detached from the image forming apparatus only before shipping. When the image forming apparatus starts operating, the sheet feeding cassette is unlocked. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus is conveyed or moved after start of the operation, the sheet feeding cassette or the image forming apparatus may fall or be damaged.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H08-044272 is suitable for a relatively large-size image forming apparatus because a handle used for conveyance is accommodated inside of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the technology puts limitation on downsizing of an image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus in this technology is conveyed or moved by holding a removable body without pulling the handle, the removable body or the image forming apparatus may fall or be damaged.
In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-321128, a lever is used to lock the sheet feeding cassette. Therefore, the technology also puts limitation on downsizing of an image forming apparatus and simplification of a configuration of an image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus in this technology is conveyed or moved by holding, for example, a removable body without using the handle, the removable body or the image forming apparatus may fall or be damaged.
In the technologies disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model Application Laid-open No. H02-102558 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-109355, the removable body is not locked. Therefore, the removable body can easily fall or be damaged when the image forming apparatus is conveyed or moved.
As described above, the technology for preventing the removable body from being detached from the image forming apparatus when shipping the image forming apparatus or when a proper handle is held for conveying the image forming apparatus have already been disclosed. However, a technology for preventing the removable body from detaching from the image forming apparatus when the image forming apparatus is conveyed or moved by holding the removable body has not been disclosed.
The removable body such as a sheet feeding cassette is a relatively large component in the image forming apparatus and is often arranged at a bottom of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus is conveyed or moved, the removable body is often held. Thus, there is a demand of a technology for preventing the removable body from detaching from the image forming apparatus.